|
|
College Basketball
Super Sixteen
|
|
|
Jarrod, one of SCS.com's three new columnists, will write an article once a week on the events and happenings in the college sports world. With action on the hardwood just beginning to heat up, that's where Jarrod will start....
[ Week of November 24 - 30 ] |
>SUPER SIXTEEN POWER RANKINGS
|
Connecticut 3-0 |
The thought of Ben Gordon scoring 37 points on any given night should strike fear into any and all Big East coaches. This team is definitely for real. |
|
|
Duke 1-0 |
Were tested in their opener against Detroit, but stiffened up the D to force 21 turnovers. Luol Deng looked impressive scoring 21 points and notching 8 boards in 33 minutes. Can he keep that up all season long? |
|
|
Kansas 1-0 |
If Wayne Simien manages to keep his shoulder and the rest of his body healthy, this team will win a lot of games. |
|
|
North Carolina 1-0 |
I don’t know about you, but this team seems to be tailor-made for Roy Williams. |
|
|
Texas 1-0 |
Might be the deepest and most well rounded team in the country. I guess we will find out on December 4th, when Arizona comes knocking. |
|
|
Arizona 0-0 |
Plenty of talent back from last year, and more freedom for Salim Stoudamire to do his thing. |
|
|
Michigan State 1-0 |
Will have to control the boards better to keep up with the likes of Kansas, Duke, Kentucky, and Oklahoma early in the season. Breaking even with Bucknell in the rebound department doesn’t look very good on paper. |
|
|
Missouri 0-0 |
Quin Snyder’s best team on paper since he took over the Tigers. If they want to get to the Final Four, they must get rid of the “live and die by the three” philosophy. |
|
|
Illinois 1-0 |
Bill Self left a pretty good team behind to Bruce Weber, including 4 returning starters from last years 25-7 club. Dee Brown is absolutely dynamite, but must get to the foul line more often. |
|
|
Syracuse 0-0 |
The first 9 games on the schedule will have people asking “Carmelo who?” The remaining 18 games might be a different story. |
|
|
Florida 0-0 |
Florida always seems to have talent, and this year is no exception. David Lee scored 6 points or less last year in 8 different games; that must change this year. |
|
|
Kentucky 1-0 |
Kentucky won’t run the table in the SEC again, but if Gerald Fitch can become a consistent threat, they will certainly make things interesting. |
|
|
Wisconsin 1-0 |
Very solid basketball team. Experience makes them a legitimate threat to win the Big 10. |
|
|
St. Joseph's 1-0 |
Look for this team to shoot up the rankings considerably. They have Top 5 talent and a tremendous backcourt. |
|
|
Wake Forest 2-0 |
As much upside as anybody in the country. The talent is there, but it will probably be another year before they challenge for an ACC title. |
|
|
Oklahoma 3-0 |
Drew Lavender can and will be the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, and Oklahoma will play its usual physical style, but the talent isn’t there for a run at the Big 12 championship, or a Final Four. |
|
>KEY GAMES OF THE WEEK
|
|
SUMMARY: Led by Wayne Simien, Kansas comes in with one of the best frontcourts in the nation. Keith Langford leads the KU backcourt and loves to play in the big games. Look for a big game from him. Kansas will look to push the tempo at home and try to create as many scoring opportunities as possible.
In order for Michigan State to win, they will need to keep sophomore center Paul Davis out of foul trouble and shoot it well beyond the arc. KU has been vulnerable to giving up good looks from the outside. Catching KU this early in a transitional season might be the best time to play them. |
X-FACTOR: Allen Fieldhouse -- Kansas doesn’t lose very often at home where they are a combined 123-6 in the past 9 years. If KU gets off to a good start, it could be lights out for Michigan State. |
PREDICTION: Kansas 78 Michigan State 71 |
|
|
SUMMARY: Expect a high scoring, high-flying affair when these two teams meet on Friday night.
Arizona only fields 8 scholarship players, but they still have plenty of talent. Namely Salim Stoudamire, and 6’11 junior pivot-man Channing Frye. Stoudamire has shown ability to take over games, which he will have more freedom to do this season.
Florida has enough shooters and athletes to keep up with anybody in the country. David Lee has shown superstar capabilities, but has also shown a knack for disappearing at times. The same goes for Matt Walsh, who played well in spurts last year. These two will need to show maturity, and provide more consistent play for the Gators. |
X-FACTOR: Channing Frye -- Frye will have room to operate down low, and will cause problems for Florida. If Arizona can knock down some outside shots early, things will open up even more for him. Expect a big night from Channing Frye. |
PREDICTION: Arizona 90 Florida 84 |
|